This disclosure relates generally to tools for use on roofs and, more particularly, to a tool to assist in scaling an inclined roof.
Scaling and inspection of a roof with a steep ridge can be a dangerous task, even for a trained professional. Serious injuries or death may occur as a result of falling while working on or trying to gain access to a rooftop.
Conventional methods used to access steep roofs often involve difficult and time consuming processes. Professionals typically use a personal fall arrest system containing an anchor point, safety line, and harness. The safety line (typically a rope) connects the harness to the anchor point. The set up of the fall arrest system requires climbing up a ladder to get a safety line across one side of the building to another, climbing down the ladder to tie down one end of the safety line, and finally putting on harness gear and climbing back up a ladder. This process must be fully repeated for accessing, inspecting, or repairing the other side of the roof.
Another method for accessing and inspecting steep roofs involves the use of ladder with a roof hook affixed to the ladder. Using the ladder with the roof hook affixed often requires carrying this second ladder up a ladder. Carrying a second ladder while climbing a first ladder increases the difficulty and risks associated with accessing and performing tasks on the roof.
There is a need for an apparatus that can be used by individuals to scale, inspect, and work on steep roofs that is both time-efficient and reduces the risk of injury or death to an individual needing to scale or inspect steep roofs.